Air cleaners and purifiers are widely used for removing foreign substances from the air. An air cleaner can be used in many settings, including at home, in offices, workrooms, etc. The foreign substances can include pollen, dander, smoke, pollutants, dust, etc. In addition, an air cleaner can be used to remove odors from the air.
One type of filter for use in an air cleaner is a carbon filter. A carbon filter can remove various contaminant particles and resulting odors from the air. Some odors desired to be removed in a residential setting are smoke, kitchen or food odors, pet odors, body odors, automobile exhaust, and cleaning compounds, to name a few. In addition, activated carbon can further remove various organic gases, radon, and ozone, among others.
Activated carbon air filters comprise a carbon material that includes a large number of molecular pores. These pores are highly adsorbent, forming a strong chemical bond/attraction to odorous, gaseous, and liquid contaminates. Activated carbon is essentially charcoal that has been treated with oxygen in order to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms, resulting in a highly adsorbent material.
In the prior art, a carbon filter typically comprises a mesh or layer of fibers that are coated with carbon particles or granules. The carbon particles are typically held to the mesh or fibers by some manner of bonding agent. One typical bonding agent is a resin.
However, this prior art approach has drawbacks. The bonding agent typically is not completely covered by carbon. In addition, the carbon bonded to the mesh or fibers is typically relatively thin. As a result, such a prior art carbon filter is quickly used up and loses odor adsorption capability in an undesirably short time.